Traffickers defrauding millions in benefits
Babies and young children are being trafficked into Britain by foreign criminals and used to make fraudulent benefits claims.
In a multi-million-pound racket children are taken from families, with the knowledge of their parents, then placed with unrelated adults to enable fake benefit claims to be paid into accounts controlled by the trafficker. Some are trained in street crime. Forged immigration documents and employment records are reported to be used.
The Met's Operation Golf has identified 119 potential child victims in the capital. It has investigated a Romanian network believed to control a human trafficking ring. A police swoop this month on 20 addresses in
Westminster, Enfield, Haringey and Redbridge found evidence of benefit crime in excess of £100,000. Four suspected child victims from
Romania were rescued. The claims for housing benefit, tax credits and child benefit supplement profits from other crimes such as ATM fraud, pickpocketing and shoplifting. The traffickers are believed to use the cash to buy houses and cars in their home towns.
MP Anthony Steen, chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on trafficking of women and children, said: “This is an appalling scandal. The current checks are totally inadequate.”
A Revenue and Customs spokesman said: ''Under a long-standing agreement individuals registered to work in one EU country are able to claim for dependent children. HMRC takes fraud extremely seriously and has a range of checks in place. If fraud is suspected payment is stopped.”
Traffickers defrauding millions in benefits | News
I wonder if this sitauation is reciprocal, and Brits can go and work in Romania, and take advantage of their extensive benefits system, and claim for any children left behind in the U.K.?
As stated elsewhere I don't blame the people from other countries who take advantage of this ludicrous state of affairs. I blame our government for allowing it to happen. Especially at a time when it's been recently reported that we are curently paying out more money in social benefits, than we nationally raise in tax.
I'm sure if I was an impoverished eastern European, I'd be taking advantage of this system, and I too would be using British taxpayer's money to build a mansion back in my home village, as illustrated in this article in The Times.
Tandarei: The faraway town fat on UK benefit fraud - Times Online